I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cytological smear inspection apparatus which may be used to inspect a pap smear specimen for irregular cells.
II. Background of the Invention
Manual inspection of cytological smears, in particular pap smears, involves an extensive number of lab technician man-hours every year. The high volume of such inspections done in many medical laboratories causes delay in their processing. Also, the backlogs which develop due to the high volume contribute to technician fatigue which in turn contributes to technician error. It is this possibility of error coupled with the perpetual backlog that demonstrates the industry need for automated inspection of cytological smears.
The prior art includes a substantial collection of such automated cytological smear inspection constructions--especially such constructions which utilize digital computers; however, the complexity and specialization of the prior art restricts their usage. Specifically, the prior art discloses extensive dedicated machines, obviously requiring enormous amounts of money to produce, yet providing machinery with very limited applications. Obviously, there has been a longstanding need for a cytological smear inspection apparatus which incorporates functionality, affordability, and adaptability, so that an inspection apparatus that works well may be deployed without excessive expense and still be adaptable to inspect a variety of cell types.